On the doorstep: discovering and caring for the animals of Lewisham

Continuing our new weekly series in which local people introduce us to their area, we meet Julia Gamaker, 7, a primary school student and hobby extraordinaire who lives in Telegraph Hill. Julia tells ELL how if she were in charge she would make sure everyone in her neighbourhood had pets, but only the sweetest and nicest animals.

Home is…

A flat. I don’t like it much because I’m not allowed to have pets. I live with my mum and dad. But I’m going to get a dog once we move house.

I’m focusing on three dogs. One, Dalmatian. Two, a guard dog that didn’t pass its test. Three, a police dog that didn’t pass its test. Because if a police dog didn’t pass it’s test that means it’s really sweet and kind. I like sweet and kind.

Tell us a local secret…

Well isn’t it supposed to be a secret? I can’t tell you.

What makes this place special is…

It was named after someone who survived the Great Fire of London, Pepys Road. There’s this man who was called Samuel Pepys who was alive back then and he buried the most precious things he owned in his garden. This was his gold and a whole wheel of Parmesan cheese! In the end, he dug them out again once the fire had been put out.

In those days, cheese was so expensive- it was like £2000 or something. Samuel Pepys thought the cheese was special, so he put it underground so the fire wouldn’t harm it and his gold. The rest of his money would be saved as well so he could use more cheese. So, gold and cheese underground make it special. I thought it could be Cheesy Pepys Road!

Where would you go for a great night out?

Well, sometimes I go to the park at night time and walk around the whole park looking for animals. Once I saw a leopard frog, two foxes, a cat and a red centipede on the same night!

If I was in charge I would…

Say that every house in the area would be allowed to have a pet and if the neighbours don’t like it, then that’s just how it will be.

I would describe the community as…

Young and strong. Because one girl who is only three years old lifted these [2kg weights] up. She can’t do it above her head, but she can lift them and she is only three!

I spend my Sundays…

At the market. My parents give me a shopping bag and money and they take me outside and help me cross the road and go back into the house and I go into the park where the market is and buy bread for them. Then I go out of the park, they see me waiting where the cars are, they help me across the road and then we come home, and we eat the bread.

I relax by…

Sometimes I just lie down in my bed or I just lie down in the living room, and my parents put the TV on when I’m on the sofa.

My favourite local shops are…

I’m not sure but there’s one I haven’t gone to for years and years and years. The shop sells really good sausages and sausage rolls and cupcakes and stuff. It’s a bakery and I love it but I haven’t gone there in years. I know where it is. It’s only a road away.

For entertainment I head to…

Well, watching TV entertains me because it has lots of things that can happen in a cartoon or a movie which inspires you for an artwork or something, which I really like. Sometimes I just do it for fun.

The best thing about my neighbourhood is…

I like lifting weights and football.

And the worst…

There was just this cat that stayed over with us for two days. We looked after her because she had lost her owner. One day, we had gone to my grandpa’s house and I felt suspicious that she could run away, and she did.